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Sports: Desmond Elliot, Others Call for ‘Early Start’, Hail Promasidor
A Lagos State lawmaker, Desmond Elliot; the Executive Chairman of Lagos State Sports
Council, Dr. Kweku Tandoh and a former President of the Athletes Federation of Nigeria
(AFN), Mr. Toni Urhobo have advocated the articulation of programmes that would
encourage and support kids who are talented in different sports.
They made the call at the closing ceremony of this year’s Cowbell Football Academy
Summer Camp held at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos on Saturday. The three-week
camp, which is sponsored by Cowbell milk, the flagship brand of Promasidor Nigeria
Limited, drew participation from young football talents between 4 and 18 years of age in
different parts of Lagos and beyond.
The stakeholders also commended Promasidor for its commitment towards developing young
sports talents, calling on other private sector players to emulate the company and show
sufficient support to the growth of the country’s sports.
Speaking at the event, Elliot, who is also a Nollywood star, said Promasidor deserved honour
for playing a lead role in the development of football talents through the sponsorship of
Cowbell Football Academy. The member of the Lagos State House of Assembly for Surulere
1 constituency stated that Nigeria could not grow its sports sector unless it made deliberate
attempts to develop its young talents at their tender age.
He said: “We need to realise that government cannot do everything. What is required is an
enabling environment to encourage programmes such as Cowbell Football Academy.
Initiatives like this do not only encourage young talents but also keep them healthy. I
encourage other corporate organisations to emulate what Promasidor is doing. The company
has been doing this for years. It deserves an award.”
According to Tandoh, Nigeria could only leverage the developmental benefits of sports by
taking the sector to the grassroots and the schools. He said Cowbell Football Academy had,
over the years, demonstrated how young talents could be nurtured.
“We are beginning to see the results of the investment Promasidor has made in Cowbell
Football Academy. If we don’t get it right at the foundational level, there is little or nothing
we can do at the elite level. Everything we need to do in terms of discipline, attitude and
development for those who will be great sports men and women has to be done at the
foundational level. And we are glad that Promasidor is doing this,” Tandoh noted.
On his part, Urhobo said that Nigeria had not been able to get its sports development right
because it failed to pay attention to grassroots development.
“It is at the academy level that we can get the best trainers in sports. Sports is the biggest
employer of labour but we must do it right. It is cheaper to invest in local academies than to
source ready-made talents abroad. So, we commend Promasidor for its commitment in this
regard,” Urhobo pointed out.
The founder of Brila FM, Mr. Larry Izamoje also called on the private sector players to
support the government in sports development. He said the first 10 years of great talents are
crucial to their success.
“Rather than allowing them fall prey to the vices that will destroy them in future, we should
focus on catching them young and teach them the right things. What Cowbell Football
Academy is currently doing will be harvested by the country in future. It will increase the
fortunes of families and boost the country’s foreign exchange earnings,” Izamoje stressed.
He commended Promasidor for its support, calling for an extension of its efforts to other
sports such as boxing, basketball and volleyball
Earlier the Managing Director of Promasidor, Anders Einarsson had said that the company
was committed to the future of Nigeria’s youths through the academy and its other youth-
targeted corporate social responsibilities.
Einarson, who was represented by the company’s Marketing Manager, Mr. Abiodun Ayodeji,
further said: “When we started the summer camp, our goal was to create a platform that
would positively engage the youth during the long holidays and help them see life outside the
walls of the school from a stimulating and rewarding perspective. We also wanted to expose
the kids to the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, which is part of the brand identities of Cowbell.
“I am glad that Cowbell Football Academy has achieved a reasonable success in these key
objectives. It has become a vehicle for teaching modern tactics of professional football and
transmitting sports ethics to young talents.”
Apart from Cowbell Football Academy, Promasidor Nigeria also motivates Nigerian youths
through Harness Your Dream, a career awareness workshop for public secondary school
students, Loya Swim Meet, a secondary school swimming competition that aims to promote
swimming as a sport while encouraging health/fitness; and Cowbellpedia Secondary School
Mathematics TV Quiz Show.SM MEDIA 2
From Left: Member of Lagos State House of Assembly, Desmond Elliot; Marketing
Manager, Promasidor Nigeria Limited, Abiodun Ayodeji; and Rector, Cowbell Football
Academy, Godwin Dudu-Orumen with the captain of River Benue Football Team, Master
Daniel Pogbe, at the closing ceremony of Cowbell Football Academy Summer Camp held at
the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
